


Away

by TheMomeRath



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Prostitute AU, Sexual Assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-12
Updated: 2014-08-12
Packaged: 2018-02-12 19:54:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2122641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMomeRath/pseuds/TheMomeRath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack's eighteenth birthday has come, and to celebrate his inauguration into his father's seafaring trading crew, North drunkenly orders for a prostitute, and Jack finds one in his room just before he intends to sleep- but things don't go quite as anyone planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Away

_These are the seafaring diaries of one Jackson O. North, member of the trading ship_ Clarity.

“Wow, dad. Thanks. This is really cool.”

“Read it again,” his father said, a small smile on his face.

Jack reread the words. “Wait…” He looked up at the large man again. again. “You mean… I’m a crew member now?”

“Of course you are!” The deep rumble that was laughter emanated from Nicholas North’s belly all the way to his shining blue eyes. “You’re eighteen. You’re free to come with us. Leave home behind for months at a time and travel from city to bustling city.” He set a large hand on his son’s shoulder. “Just think of all the wonderful people you’ll meet!”

Jack looked back down at the journal. “Wow… Thanks, dad.” He hugged his father around the enormous chest and squeezed. “I’m glad you chose to let me come with.”

The white-haired man laughed again. “I couldn’t let you be chosen by anybody else for their crew, now, could I?”

Jack’s lips curled in a small smile. “I guess not. I just didn’t expect that this was going to be more than a one-time thing.”

North slapped his son on the back. “I wouldn’t just bring you to port with the intent of saying you couldn’t do it again, now, would I? Anyway, it’s your birthday. We aren’t even done celebrating.”

* * *

 

Several hours later, in the new city where the seafaring crew had set anchor to sell their wares in the morning, the whole crew had taken over the local tavern and were about as raucous as a group of unkempt traders could be.

North bought round after round of drinks for everyone, shouting joyously. JAck simply sat, slightly embarrassed. He had taken one drink and started feeling sick, so refused everything the tavernkeeper offered him.

“AND ANOTHER ROUND OF DRINKS!” North bellowed from his stool, hoisting a large mug of ale high into the air. “MY SON IS A MAN!” This was the seventh round of drinks North had bought to celebrate Jack’s birthday, and probably the seventeenth altogether.

His father’s friend, the grey-haired man with wild sideburns that everyone just called Bunny, took up the cheer. “JACK IS A MAN!”

Jack grimaced and hid behind the empty mug he was holding. When the bartender came by again, he stopped in front of him. “Something wrong?” He reached to take the empty mug, and Jack slid it away from himself and sighed.

“I know he’s trying to celebrate, but it’s kind of… embarrassing. I just want to go somewhere else.”

The bartender winked. “I’ll let him know.”

* * *

 

Exhausted and ready to be done with the atmosphere in the bar, Jack made his way back through the winding city streets to the areas of lodging his father’s company had taken up for their stay. He made his way up a short staircase on the outside of the building and opened his door to the dark room, closing it behind him before lighting the dim lantern that was on the wall next to it.

He dropped his coat to the floor and started to unbutton his shirt, turning toward the bed as he went, but then he spotted something in the room that hadn’t been there before.

There was a boy on his bed.

Jack quickly reached to his side for the knife he kept in his pocket, but realized after patting frantically at his sides that it was in his jacket on the floor. He knelt quickly to grab it but stopped when the boy spoke. “What are you doing?”

“Getting a knife.”

“I’m not an intruder,” the boy responded casually.

“Well, then what are you?”

“I’m a worker.” he looked up at Jack and rolled his eyes. “Somebody sent for me to do a job. Now here I am.” He spread his arms. “Are we going to get started or not?”

Jack walked cautiously, still holding the knife. “What are you talking about?”

“Put down that knife,” the boy said, crossing his arms. “I’m not gonna play that rough.”

Jack stood up straight. “You think this is a game?”

The auburn-haired boy rolled his eyes again. “Do you want me to say it flat out? I’m a prostitute.” He spat out this last word violently, his face red. “There. Now do you know why I’m here?”

Taken aback by the change in the other boy, he set down his knife and started to rebutton his shirt. “Not really.”

The other boy sat back against the headboard. “God. Do you even know what a prostitute is?”

Jack did up his last button and crossed his arms. “I thought all prostitutes were women.”

“You obviously thought wrong,” the boy boredly replied. “Now are you gonna let me work?”

“What?” Fazed by the boy’s outright question, Jack faltered. “Are- You’re here for  _me_?”

“Obviously not anybody else.” The boy pushed a lock of long hair out of his eyes. “You’re the birthday boy, right?”

“How- who told you that?”

“My employer. Who else? I’m here for your birthday. I guess somebody wanted you to have a good time for your eighteenth.” The boy looked him up and down. “So. Are we going to get this done?”

Jack looked down shyly. “I’m not… I don’t know if I really want to do anything to you..”

The boy glanced at him. “If you’re not into that, I could always-”

“No!” Jack interrupted quickly. “What I meant is… I don’t know if I really want to make you do anything with me. It feels wrong.”

“So you’re saying you’d prefer a girl then?” The boy searched Jack’s face, an almost frenzied look in his eyes. “I promise, I’ll do better than a girl. I can-”

Jack stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. “What are you talking about?” he could feel the boy’s heartbeat even with his hand only on his shoulder. “Are you afraid of something?”

The boy took a deep breath. “It’s nothing for you to be worried about. I’ll have to deal with stuff on my own.” He exhaled quickly and looked up into Jack’s face pleadingly. “Are you sure you don’t want me?”

“It’s not that I don’t want you, it’s just that-”

“So you _do_  want me then?” He tugged Jack’s shirt up to his armpits impatiently. “Come on, we’re wasting time!”

“Well, I didn’t mean-” His voice was muffled as the boy yanked the shirt over his head , covering his mouth. As soon as the shirt was off him, he looked over at it, surprised. “What on earth…” Before he could finish his sentence, the boy pulled him backwards onto the bed, planting a kiss on his open mouth.

Jack quickly pulled back, breathing heavily. “What are you doing? I didn’t say I wanted to do anything!”

The boy flushed and traced a hand down Jack’s bare chest. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m in a hurry…”

“No. Sorry is not enough.” Jack sat back up on his bed, wiping his mouth. “Why the hell are you so eager to get me into bed? I thought a whore like you would be glad if you got paid without being forced to have sex with a stranger.”

The boy sat up quickly. “It’s not like I have a choice,” he spat angrily. “If I don’t come back with a satisfied customer, I’m going to be punished.” He brought his knees to his chest and hugged them tight against himself. “I get refused so often that all I get are beatings.”

Jack sat silently staring at him. “What’s your name?”

The boy looked quickly up at him. “What?”

“I asked your name.”

The boy laughed quietly to himself. “Nobody ever does that.” He looked toward the window and smiled. “My name’s Hikke.”

“Well, Hikke, I don’t want you to be beaten. but I don’t want you to be forced to do anything.” The boy looked at him questioningly, and Jack continued. “Can we just say that I was satisfied and then be okay with that?”

“I- I think so? I’m not sure. I haven’t done that before.” He glanced up to the ceiling. “So… I have to stay somewhere overnight, otherwise I’ll get questioned.” He stood up and picked up a pair of shoes. “Thank you.”

“Wait, where are you going to go?”

Hikke shrugged. “Somewhere. It’s not cold outside yet.”

Jack stepped quickly to the door. “You’re not gonna sleep outside! It’s going to rain!”

“Where else am I going to go? And besides, how would you know that it’ll keep raining? It’s just sprinkling like it always is.” He reached to open the door but Jack’s arm stopped it from swinging open.

“Stay here.” He didn’t bother to answer the second question out loud because he knew it wouldn’t take long for the tiny drops to soak through the clothes the boy had on. “If you go back tomorrow morning all wet, someone’s going to ask you questions.”

Hikke sighed. “Fine.” He sat down on the floor next to the wall. “I’ll stay out of your way, then.”

Jack stared at him for a few seconds. “Good night, then.” He blew out the lantern and moved next to his bed, then turned and glanced behind him at the boy before tugging his pants down over his ankles. The clouded moonlight shone through the window, carving pale blue shadows from Hikke’s left eye to Jack’s bare back.  Slipping his naked body between the sheets, Jack looked back once more to the boy, who sat with his head tipped back against the wall and knees pulled to his chest. “Sleep well, Hikke.”

The boy gave him no response, so Jack shut his eyes and let himself start to sleep.

When Hikke heard Jack’s breathing slow to a steady pace, he opened his eyes cautiously. Jack’s back was toward him, the sheet pulled up to his ribcage.

He stood silently and moved to the bedside, leaning over the boy who had refused to take advantage of him. “Thank you,” he breathed quietly, and slipped out the door into the rainy night.

* * *

 

When Jack woke the next morning, woken by autumn sunlight hitting his eyes, he immediately looked saw that the boy had left. He swore quietly under his breath and jumped up from the tangled sheets, his tired eyes blurry as he swung open the door. frost covered the porch and the cold wind nipped at his bare skin as he searched the street with his eyes. When he realized his state of undress, he closed the door and pulled on pants and a shirt, then sat down on the edge of the bed.

When he heard knocks on the door, he stood. “Hello?”

His father swung open the wooden door. “Slept well?”

“More or less,” Jack mumbled. “I’ve got a question for you-”

“Ach, it can wait. ” His father waved him off. “We’re leaving port in four hours. Will you be ready?”

Jack opened his mouth to say something about the night before, then stopped himself. “Yes.”

* * *

 

Hikke woke to a man prodding him with a heavy-booted foot. He grumbled and flicked open his eyes to see the scarred face of his employer. “You’re back early.”

He rubbed his eyes. “What?”

The man kicked his thigh and Hikke cringed away from him. “I said you’re back early.” He stepped back and crossed his arms. “I heard you come back in this morning. The arrangement is that I come to get you.” He itched his neck. “I can’t risk you running off, you understand?”

Hikke nodded. “I wasn’t going to run off…”

“No. That’s right. You wouldn’t make it very far anyway.” The man leaned down to him, breath smelling of stale beer and tobacco. “A little faggot like you doesn’t make it anywhere.”

Hikke turned his face away, trying to avoid breathing through his nose, but the man roughly grabbed his jaw and forced him to meet his gaze. “I know you didn’t do your job last night.” He forced Hikke to his feet with one hand under the boy’s arm and the other still holding his jaw, then once the boy was standing, he forced his hand down the back of Hikke’s pants, roughly pushing his fingers between the two fleshy ass cheeks to prod at what lay between.

When his hand came out dry of semen, he smiled. “Oh, looks like I was right.” He let go of Hikke’s jaw and shoved him onto his rear. “Don’t you ever try to trick me again.”

“I won’t,” he responded with uneven breaths. When the man left the room, Hikke’s vision blurred and he wiped his eyes, smearing dirt from the floor across his freckled cheeks.

* * *

 

Jack stepped out of a small shop, looking up and down the street. He pulled the collar of his shirt tight to shield himself from the autumn wind. Stepping out onto the stone road, he left dark footprints in the frost.

A lone figure stood on the street corner, leaning against a lamppost. As Jack passed, he nodded at the boy who stood there, freckled cheeks red against his pale skin, then looked again. “Hikke?”

The boy hid his neck under a long collar. “Hello.” His eyes were red and goosebumps stood out on his hands. “Looks like you’re going home, then, doesn’t it?”

Jack nodded. “How early did you leave this morning?”

“Probably just before you woke up,” he lied, pulling the collar higher up to hide the shadowy bruises on his fair skin. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

Jack nodded. “Well, I saw you were gone when I woke up. I was worried.”

“Really?” Hikke relaxed his grip on the coat. “You shouldn’t have been.”

“I was.”

There was silence.

“You don’t have to stay here, you know,” Jack said. “I bet we could use you on the crew.”

Hikke shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m used to this life.” The corners of his mouth curled up in a smile. “Someday I’ll fly far. But for now I know what I’m good at.”

Jack’s shoulders drooped. “I saw those bruises, Hikke. You don’t have to hide them.”

“Bruises?” He pulled the collar tighter again. “It’s just the lighting.”

“No, it’s not. I know a bruise when I see one.”

A snowflake fell onto Jack’s face and melted quickly into a tiny drop of water. “What are you going to do for the winter?” he asked, squinting against the wind. “Do you have to stand on the corners all year long?”

Hikke nodded. “It doesn’t get too cold. I’ll manage.”

Jack sighed. “You’re a terrible liar.” He looked down the nearly empty street. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Hikke shook his head. “I wish I could leave, but I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere before someone came to get me.”

“I’m not from anywhere near here. Nobody would look that hard.”

Green eyes lifted to meet brown. “How far away can you take me?”


End file.
